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Viva Las Vegas

Last weekend, duv and I went to Las Vegas to meet up with some of her family, and had a great time! I just finished posting the pictures we took, and wanted to point out a few of them. (continued)

Magic: The Puzzling part 2

So In keeping with an earlier post from paradox somehow my sweet g/f’s green black deck got eaten.  It was a decent deck but could be stopped easily with a terror where she likes big creatures, possibly ones the grow.  But what she really likes is she likes to make you lose life and her gain life, she also likes to try to reap some benefit on that.  I’ve been playing around on websites and looking for gain some lose some deck.  She also likes to pound on you with large creatures.  Does anyone have a suggestion for either some kind of theme deck or some kind of combo?  (continued)

A world of Questions

First I’d like to introduce myself to those who don’t already know who I am. I’ve posted a couple times recently, mainly on the tech side, as Stephen. I’m a friend of Andrew and Teisha’s from their undergrad years.

So, I left the office this last Tuesday (June 10th) in a very foul mood. It wasn’t because of anything at the office, it was because the NYTimes had updated its front page and this artcle was the top story. I found so many things that offended my sensibilities that I really couldn’t choose one to focus on until I realized that had this not been in Europe, but the Middle East or some of the former Soviet ’stans, then I probably would have shrugged it off. (continued)

WTF is wrong here

I came across this story today which really made me feel the need to rant for a bit.

Apparently the people in charge at Guantanamo are aware that things are screwy enough that they printed in their procedure’s manual : “The mission has legal and political issues that may lead to interrogators being called to testify … Keeping the number of documents with interrogation information to a minimum can minimise certain legal issues,” (continued)

Blog Class

One of the contributors to a blog I read fairly frequently, Positive Liberty, is about to start a project that might be of interest to the Druid and others with an interest in science fiction and philosophy. Jason Kuznicki had an idea of a class on science fiction and collectivism, and just posted a reading list for this class, a mixture of different science fiction books and movies with the political philosophy that relates to ideas being presented. He’ll be writing posts over the next few months discussing a book per week.

Graduation

Since I graduate in just over a week, the prospect of “real life” and the past four years have been on my mind a lot. I am excited for post-college life, a year or two of work before I head to grad school, but I’m also an emotional wreck about finishing. Even though Vernon and I aren’t planning to leave SB anytime soon, and I am applying for campus jobs, I’m clinging to my life at UCSB in a much more emotional way than I did with high school. How did you all feel when you graduated from college (the first time)? What was on your mind then? What song was stuck in your head then? Any particular memories (funny, sad, enlightening) you’d like to share?

Conservation

There is something that has been weighing on my mind more and more with everything that has been going on.  Everything I see on TV, internet, anything else is all about how to make life more “sustainable.”  While yes I do understand the need to become far more ecologically friendly it seems to me like putting a bandaid on a shotgun wound.  To me new fuels are needed, however I think that the ethanol craze is part of the skyrocketing food prices, and that fuel cells while efficient are still based on using fossil fuels. (continued)

Air Motor-licious

I recently completed the project for ME12S, the Machining class I’ve been taking: an Air Motor (photos of mine). The class has really rekindled my love for making things with my hands, and I’m racking my brain for more fun things I could find an excuse to build. (continued)

Streetside Run ins

Everybody knows them, they are in every major city they are all over Santa Barbara, you know who I’m talking about. I’m talking about the homeless. Now before you scream “thats so terrible and your a horrible person” let me clarify who I’m talking about. I’m not talking about the guy on the street corner who can barely talk laying on the sidewalk in Chicago in the middle of winter…. in the rain that makes me want to break down bawling in the street. I’m talking about the animal vegetable mineral guy who roams Goleta and Isla Vista, I’m talking about the woman on the corner screaming obscenities to nobody in particular at the top of her lungs. I want this thread to talk about your humorous run ins with the homeless. (continued)

Magic: the Puzzling

Recently, I’ve gotten back into Magic: the Gathering. It’s a very periodic function for me: I love the emergent interactions between a complex ruleset, but then I spend too much time or money and get burnt out. But currently, it’s on the upswing, because I’ve stuck pretty well to my goal: Focus on a single concept that intrigues me. That concept? Thallids! (continued)